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Ask The Undertaker

Ask The Undertaker

Ask the Undertaker is a column written by the supervising mortician of Lasting Tributes, Ryan Helfenbein, in Outlook By the Bay Magazine. It covers many topics such as Green Burial, What to do if death occurs out of town, How to create a celebration of life, Veteran Burial Benefits and much more. Feel free to select an article from past issues of Outlook By the Bay Magazine below to learn more.

Holiday 2016:

Each year during our holiday feasts my father says the blessing. He starts with the standard blessing of the food to our bodies, but then moves into something that is possibly unique to just a family of undertakers. He asks for a special blessing of healing to all the families we assisted that year. My father has always built his undertaking business around the fact that we help families heal. For the countless number of individuals my family has assisted through the years, we can’t help but simply take a small moment to remember them -- members of the families left behind.

Fall 2016:

Imagine if you will, waking up one morning and getting into your car to head out for your daily chores, only to realize that your car isn’t working. It won’t even start! So you call your neighbor and ask for a ride to the nearest car dealership later that afternoon so you can buy a new car. When you arrive at the dealership, you walk in and simply state to a complete stranger, “My car doesn’t work anymore, what do you have and how much should I pay you?”

Summer 2016:

According to a recent article published by the American Automobile Association, 38 million people traveled this past Memorial Day weekend, the second highest travel volume since 2005. With all this traveling, one has to ask at some point, what if someone dear to you died when out of town? Who would the family call, what would be done, and how in the world would they get them back home? Yes, leave it to an undertaker to take the nervousness of travel and amplify it by mixing in the question of a death out of town. This is actually a commonly asked question and one for which we should all have the answer.

Spring 2016 Issue:

An elderly American absent-mindedly arrived at French immigration in Charles de Gaulle Airport and fumbled for his passport. "You have been to France before, monsieur?" the official asked. The American smiled and admitted that he had been to France before. "In that case you should know to have your passport ready for inspection," barked the ill-tempered officer. The American gently informed the Frenchman that the last time he came to France he did not have to show his passport or any other documents.

Early Spring 2016 Issue:

In the 1989 movie “The Burbs,” Ray (Tom Hanks) and his buddy Art explore a neighbor’s yard when they hear this new family might be a bit on the morbid side. During this film, after it is learned that a local townsman (Walter) disappeared, there is a scene where Art finds a bone in this out-of-the-ordinary family’s backyard and leans into Ray saying, “Ray, there's no doubt anymore. This is real …They're burying them in their backyard. Ray - This is Walter!” This movie is one of many that paint a chilling picture of burying people on family property. But it also brings up a question: Can it be done?

Winter 2016 Issue:

A few years back a large focus group was organized to learn about consumers’ feelings regarding the funeral industry. Not too surprisingly, the findings were not so positive. It wasn’t ill feelings about the lurch-like personnel within the industry and that familiar overpowering smell of flowers that are common in the viewing rooms. Rather, participants wondered why it needed to be so gloomy...

Holiday 2015 Issue:

The holiday season is upon us. Time for distant relatives, exchanging gifts with close friends and family, and, of course, an excuse for us all to overeat. It is typically a happy time, filled with laughter and sharing of memories from the years past. While it may be perceived that the majority of the population is experiencing joy, it coul dbe just the opposite for others...

Fall 2015 Issue:

"...I do not care what happens to this body. It is simply an empty house. And I do not need a grave for my family to visit and pay homage. My mother was buried in 1982. I have not been to her grave five times. She knew I loved her. I tell her I appreciate all she did for me. I will see her again when I get home (heaven)." How many would agree with these statements and the overall viewpont...

Summer 2015 Issue:

Think back to a time when you were meeting with a funeral professional to help organize a service for a family member or friend who recently died. Most of that time was spent concentrating on ways to help honor that person's life, and help the family through the process. However, while planning the specific details and services, it is only natural to think about what we might want our own funeral ceremony to be like...

Spring 2015 Issue:

The year was 2002 when the cremation industry was forever changed. In what would become a 40 million dollar lawsuit, heavy state regulation and an overhaul of proper management in the world of cremation, a situation arose in Georgia. Let's just say in very simple terms, a crematory was doing their job...

Holiday 2014 Issue:

Perhaps Frank Sinatra was not only a great singer, but something of a visionary when he sang the lyrics of his classic, “My Way,” in 1968. This song, written by French composers with lyrics reworked especially for Sinatra by Paul Anka, is about a man reflecting on life as his end nears. As the song goes, he walks you through his story of trials and tribulations, but keeps coming back to that famous line: “I did it my way.” Not only has this become an extremely popular song to close out funeral services, but it defines the modern day funeral and cremation experience.

Fall 2014 Issue:

We all have experience with (and opinions about) insurance. It has become a go-to mechanism for protecting ourselves against the "what ifs" that may occur. Car insurance is mandatory to cover part of the accident damages. Homeowners insurance is required to cover some damages to our home. Health insurance is required now required by the government to cover much of our medical treatment. The interesting aspect of each of these is that each one is required to provide protection from the chance that something may occur. However, nowhere is it required for each of us to obtain protection from the one thing in life it is certain we all will face - our death expenses.

Summer 2014 Issue:

A gentleman asked recently when he was preparing his funeral plans in advance, "Why are so many traditional funeral homes still so grim?" Afterward, he explained that when he worked with an undertaker to arrange services for his father there was a gloomy and cold feeling through the entire building. It seemed there was an all-encompassing sadness that pervaded the entire pricess.

Spring 2014 Issue:

After a rough Winter, we all have been anticipating the long-awaited Spring and the official opening of area pools on Memorial Day. This holiday also offers a day off from work and school, when family and friends gather together for an outdoor picnic. But is today's Memorial Day celebration much different from that of our ancestors, or has modern culture pulled us away from its true meaning?

Winter 2014 Issue:

Over the past decades, we have seen the funeral industry change like never before. Quiet whispers during a visitation have now become outburts of laughter with tears to follow, the water cooler and mint jar have become the wine and cheese...

Fall 2013 Issue:

Summer 2013 Issue:

Imagine if you will entering a facility and being immediately greeted by someone smiling who even made a light joke about the weather. As you make your way further into the facility, you can't help but notice that your favorite Summer vacation song is playing...

Spring 2013 Issue:

Over the centuries we have seen presidents pay tribute to the veterans who serve our country. The standard for honoring those who gave their lives for their country was set in 1862, when faced with mounting Civil War casualties.

Winter 2013 Issue:

Fall 2012 Issue:

When it comes to Halloween, my family has always been the go-to source for unique costumes. Perhaps it's due to my line of work, or simply the fact that this industry breeds creative thinkers. Whatever the reason, we often end up creating the neighborhood kids' costumes.

Summer 2012 Issue:

Part of every funeral director's education involves studying the American history of funeral directing. Directors in training learn about the development of the industry, how embalming got started and the ever-so-interesting topics of grave robbing and devices invented to signal a "premature" burial.

Spring 2012 Issue:

Undertakers have noticed the increased popularity of so-called immediate disposition services, when the body is cremated immediately or buried directly after death. No services. No ceremony. Obviously, we have examined this express means of disposition and asked ourselves why.

Winter 2012 Issue:

Those who have decided to preplan their funerals typically wonder about how to go about it. Here is the first group of commonly asked questions about preplanned funerals and their answers. Another batch will appear in the early Spring issue of Outlook by the Bay.

Fall 2011 Issue:

Summer 2011 Issue:

More and more Americans are moving from one state to another each year. And now, with the rise of cremation, this creates challenges for an undertaker due to a legal document that is necessary before cremation can take place - a cremation authorization. More importantly, who can authorize an undertaker to move forward with cremation?

Spring 2011 Issue:

It's amazing how fast things have changed in our society today and how quickly people can adapt to that popular product or service. We see this change in the undertaker's profession as well...in the shift of popularity from traditional burial to cremation tributes.

Winter 2011 Issue:

Fall 2010 Issue:

Today, more and more people are moving away from the quiet, mellow, services offered by the funeral industry. Rather, families want to celebrate the decedent's life in a unique and personalized way, creating a positive memory of how their loved one affected others.

Summer 2010 Issue:

With the baby boomers approaching an age where Medicaid or SSI may become a part of their lives, we as undertakers are being asked more and more how assets can be protected for burial or cremation expenses.

Spring 2010 Issue:

Advanced planning is offered to protect people from the financial shock and emotional decision-making process that occurs at the time of death. In developing this program, it has amazed me to have found so many veterans who are unaware of what burial benefits are due them.

Early Spring 2010 Issue:

Our job as undertakers encompasses so much more than preparing a loved one for a visitation, cremation ceremony or burial service. Our job is now to walk a family through the process of developing a meaningful celebration of the life of their loved one.

Winter 2010 Issue:

One of my favorite topics is cremation. Cremation is something that is being discussed more and more.The reasons I often hear why people choose cremation, and ones I will address here, are that it is cheaper, it saves scarce land and it is easier.

Holiday 2009 Issue:

I have attempted to create a funeral director glossary to help the general public better understand some of the words us undertakers are using today. I am going to touch on five very common terms used today in the funeral industry: First-call, at-need and pre-need, embalming, cremains and inurnment.

Fall 2009 Issue:

From the loss of Michael Jackson a few areas became very apparent to me in the context of my business: the importance of planning ahead, the role of the funeral professionals and how to create a true "celebration of life."

Summer 2009 Issue:

Spring 2009 Issue:

Over the past several months I have been receiving many inquiries about prepayment of funerals. One can't help but wonder if it is due to the economic situation our country is facing, the winter blues or people today just wanting to be more prepared and relieve their family from the financial burden in the future. Whatever the reason may be, it is a wise decision as long as it is done correctly.

Early Spring 2009 Issue:

Winter 2009 Issue:

As you can imagine, people ask me interesting questions on a daily basis about my work in the funeral business. Nonetheless, it has made me realize that many people today want to know more about what is available to them and what funerals are all about more now than ever before.